The present invention pertains to a sports garment such as a jacket or a vest for use in outdoor environments by hunters, fisherman, birders and others having similar needs. More particularly the invention pertains to an improved pocket structure for a vest or jacket.
Men and women engaged in outdoor activities often need to carry small tools, notepads or other paraphernalia in their pockets. Things that need to be accessed quickly are normally carried in jacket or vest pockets. Over the years, many persons have designed specialized jackets and vests for particular activities. Thus, one can purchase a fishing vest having pockets and attachment points suited to the carrying of fishing accessories. Similarly, hunting jackets are sold having pockets to accommodate hunting equipment. Birders also often buy specialized jackets for carrying field guides, notebooks, binoculars, glasses and the like. Other sporting activities and professional activities have also been the beneficiaries of specialized garments aimed at answering particular needs.
Pockets on vests and jackets are often provided with a securing means. Zippers, buttons and snaps are commonly used. When an expensive or particularly necessary item is carried in a pocket a user will often desire to lock the pocket through the mechanism of a closure. This is particularly the case for a breast pocket. When one is engaged in outdoor activities one often must bend over. Frequently, if one is carrying glasses or other items in a breast pocket and bends over, the items slides out and falls to the ground, sometimes resulting in breakage or loss.
Closure of pockets by buttons, zippers and snaps has presented problems in the past. Buttons can be clumsy and sometimes require the use of two hands to open the pocket and retrieve an item. Zippers and snaps can also be clumsy and are also noisy. In fishing, hunting and birding particularly, it is sometimes necessary to retrieve an item from a pocket quickly, quietly, with one hand and without diverting one's visual attention. In any of these sports, if a fish, animal or bird is spotted, the person involved normally wants to keep undivided visual attention on the wildlife. At the same time, the person may wish to remove a particular accessory or pair of glasses from a pocket. Heretofore, this situation presented problems in that one had to fumble with a button, or forego the use of the glasses. Normally, in this situation, the use of a zipper or snap can destroy the moment by introducing noise into the environment alerting the wildlife to the presence of a person and causing flight.
It is advantageous for a pocket on a sports vest or jacket to be weatherproof. The weatherproof nature of the pocket advantageously includes the closure means. In the past, this has been accomplished with button down flaps. However, as described above, button down flaps can be clumsy and interfere with access to a pocket at a critical moment.